Well I know I've been pretty quiet on the forums over the past bunch of months. A lot of that has to do with all the hours I get at my new job, but the other part of it is I finally fulfilled a personal life long dream of becoming a published author. A couple of years ago I went through a really difficult time in my life. I decided then that for all of the pain and cost that I had endured, I was going to somehow make something positive come out of it. My book, The Garden of Life, is the result.

The Garden of Life is available on most major on-line book retail sites, such as Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble (bn.com) and Booksamillion.com It is available in Hard Cover, Paperback, Nook and Kindle editions. Most sites ship within 24 hours.

On Amazon.com, there is an option to Look Inside the book that will allow you to read the first chapter to see if it's something that might be of interest to you or someone you care about. You can also read the reviews from readers who have already had a chance to read The Garden of Life and see what they got out of it.

http://www.amazon.com/Garden-Life-Todd-M...2616&sr=1-1

In the long distant past (I think it might have even been on the previous forum) I had posted a sample of my writing and received a lot of positive feedback and encouragement to really go for it and make my dream of writing a book a reality. Thanks to all who did give me their encouragement, because in the long run it really did help me to decide that this was something I should do. I hope you will enjoy what I have written.

Sincerely,
Todd Michael Putnam
AKA Hellshade

Congratulations, man, Killer pilot and published author! That's how you make the most of your day!

Hellshade. It's a proud moment for you so consume it to the fullest. We are only hear for a short time but you have ensured that part of you will remain and entertain others for a long time to come!

Congratulations on your achievement mate!

All the best to you and yours for the future.

Ooh, congratulations. I am so excited for you!!! well done.

"As a reward take a short holiday...
did you enjoy it? good, now back to work."

Blackadder the third, well worth a look.

Congratulations Hellshade! I'm going to order a copy and make sure I read it before the summer is out. This is something to celebrate and be proud of so enjoy every minute of it.

Congratulations to you Todd Michael Putnam!!! You should be very proud of such an honorable accomplishment. I am looking forward to reading your work.

Congrats to you Hellshade a well deserved achievement. I will go to Amazon and check this out. Again congratulations on fulfilling a dream.

Awesome, Hellshade. That's really something to be proud of.

I've ordered a copy (plus a couple of other titles from Amazon ... gotta get the free shipping!) I needed to get some good reading material for when the fall rains arrive later this year, and this fits nicely. I am looking forward to reading it by my woodstove on a dark and drizzly night

Nicely done, Hellshade! Congrats!

Congratulations Hellshade..what a wonderful achievement!!

That's cool! Congratulations!

Congratulations, Hellshade - that is a great achievement!
It is one thing to start writing a book, and another to really accomplish the task and finish it.
I hope for you, that it will sell well!

.

That is outstanding Hellshade, well done! Its been a good number of years now since you posted a sample of your writing and ask for opinions on it and I am very glad to see that you stuck with it. To tell a story well is an art and we can always use another accomplished artist to bring enlightenment to this weary, yet wonderful, world.

.

Wow, that is exciting.
Congrats!

Congrats!

Congratz, Hellshade!

Congratulations Hellshade! When life gives you a lemon, make lemonade. You seem to have planted a whole orchard. Look forward to having a look.

Congratulations Todd, looks like an interesting book too. Good luck with its success!

Congratulations, Hellshade! Fulfilling a lifelong dream is something many of us think about, but you've done it, mate!

I hope your book sells well, and allows for many more to come. Cheers!

P.S. Now that the book is published, get back up in the air.

Thanks to everyone for the kind words and support. It will probably be a few months before I can get a professional review (I've submitted to Kirkus.com and BlueInk.com) but in the meantime, feedback from readers has been very positive.

The best verbal review I've received so far summed it up as this. "You can read it in about an hour but you'll be referring back to it for the rest of your life." If that is true for at least some of the people who read it, then I will have truly achieved my goal. Looking forward to what the very discerning members of this forum think. All honest feedback is always welcome.

Now, where are those Gothas?

Good for you, Todd. Congratulations! This is a big deal. Hopefully it will sell well and you can make a living as an author at some point, if that is what you want!

Only just got back to the forum after a little while away ... well done Hellshade!

Congratulations Hellshade, I wish you lot of success with your book, and hope that one day it could also be edited in french ... But as we say in France "Impossible n'est pas Français" ("impossible is not a french word")

DANG!!!! Nice work...........

Well done mate. With the rise of the Kindle there has never been a better time for authors to get their work published esp with Amazon.

However I see you did it the old proper way which is very impressive indeed.

Thanks Wodin. I went for Kindle and Nook as well as paperback and hard cover. I tried to make it available in whatever format a person would be likely to want it in. Might go for iPad format too at some point.

Well done!

Funny, but way back when I was a kid in the '50s and '60s we used to call assholes "weeds."

I ordered your book a few days ago and it's on the way from Amazon. I can't wait to read it Hellshade.

I received my copy (paperback) from Amazon and got a chance to read it a couple of days ago. Nice work Todd. Lots of great messages there about living a good life, and all delivered in a simple but memorable way.

Thank you gentlemen. I appreciate both the support and the feedback very much.